SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) the quiet killer is a
topic of importance to me because I had a dear friend who had twins who died a
week apart from SIDS. I also believe that we can change the number of death and
reduce the risk related to SIDS by educating parents, family members, and
childcare providers. Research has shown that babies who are placed on their
backs to sleep are less likely to die from SIDS. Always place your baby on
his/her back to sleep unless health issues diagnosed by a physician prevent you
from doing so. Breastfeeding, Smoke-free environments, keeping your baby close,
temperature, and regular doctor visits are factors that can lower the risk of
SIDS.
In Maori, New
Zealand, SIDS has been the leading cause of preventable death. According to a 2005 survey, these mothers had
poor knowledge of SIDS prevention, they also had a higher rate of maternal
smoking, stop breastfeeding to early, and shared beds with their infants.
Health promotion has become more difficult because of poor socioeconomic
conditions and the mothers lack adequate access to health care.
Tipene-Leach, D., Hutchison, L., Tangiora, A., Rea, C.,
White, R., Stewart, A., & Mitchell, E. (2010). SIDS-related knowledge and
infant care practices among maori mothers. The New Zealand Medical Journal
(Online), 123(1326), 88-96. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034261563?accountid=14872
This was a great post Teresa. It is very sad to read that your friend lost not one but two of her children from SIDS. That alone, would motivate me to look up preventative measures that others could take in order to avoid suffering from a child losing their life because of it. Thank you for sharing that story and it is quite interesting to see how many children this really affects even in other countries. We all should work to spread the knowledge in preventing this devastating factor.
ReplyDeleteI love your post Teresa! I'm so sorry about your friend lost. But thanks for sharing this story, learning new things to save many lives!
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